Casting wheel cooling method



Aug. 1, 1967 D. B. COFER ETAL 3,

CASTING WHEEL COOLING METHOD Filed June 20, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 M/Vf/VTOR? DA/V/EL 5. COFA7 DALE 0. 24 06704? afcwai' c. W/IPD ,4 7' TOA /14575,

Aug. 1,1967 D. B. COFER ETAL CASTING WHEEL COOLING M THOD 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed June 20, 1966 1, 1967 D. B. COFER ETAL 3,333,624

ASTING WHEEL COOLING METHOD Filed June 20, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet S /\//EL 5. COFEP 3 1321.5 2 P14 06701? g n $70M,

ATTO/Q/VEK? United States Patent 3,333,624 CASTING WHEEL COOLING METHOD Daniel B. Cofer, Dale D. Proctor, and George C. Ward,

Carroliton, Ga, assignors to Southwire Company, Carrollton, Ga., a corporation of Georgia Filed June 20, 1966, Ser. No. 558,919 Claims. (Cl. 164-87) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE What is disclosed herein is a method of cooling a mold to provide a substantially completely solidified cast metal from the mold at a discharge temperature which results in a desired initial hot-forming temperature of the cast metal in a hot-forming means to which the cast metal is passed from the mold through a temperature changing environment. Specifically, the method involves coolin the mold to solidify a molten metal in the mold into a substantially completely solidified cast metal for passing directly to a relatively remote and separate hotforming means through a temperature changing environment and additionally and independently cooling the mold to adjust the temperature of the cast metal to a discharge temperature which is determined both by the temperature changing environment and by a range of hot-forming temperatures of the cast metal and which provides an initial hot-forming temperature of the cast metal in the hot-forming means that is within the range of hot-forming temperatures.

This application is a continuation-in-part of our copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 334,197, filed Dec. 30, 1963, now United States Patent No. 3,279,000, and entitled Apparatus for Continuous Casting of Metal.

The invention disclosed herein relates to the cooling of molten metal in a mold. More particularly, the invention disclosed herein relates to a method of cooling a mold to obtain cast metal from the mold for hot working at a selected hot Working temperature.

In our co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 334,197, we disclose a casting machine with a rotating casting wheel having a peripheral groove in an annular member closed by an endless band. The peripheral groove in the annular member and the band serve to define a mold into one end of which molten metal is poured and from the other end of which cast metal passes as the casting wheel rotates.

More particularly, our co-pendin-g U.S. patent application Ser. No. 334,197 discloses a method of cooling a mold which involves cooling the mold in a plurality of cooling zones. The cooling of a mold in a plurality of cooling zones and as otherwise taught in our co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 334,197 provides a copper base cast metal superior to that obtained in the prior art. This is because the cooling of copper base molten metal in a mold which is achieved serves to solidify the molten metal in a manner not achieved in the prior art.

A limitation of the method of cooling a mold disclosed in our co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 334,197 and of prior art methods of cooling a mold is that these methods do not provide cast metal at a temperature specifically selected for hot working the cast metal where it is desired to hot work the cast metal as it passes from the mold. This is because these methods are directed primarily to cooling a mold to accomplish solidification of molten metal in the mold and, as a result, the temperature of the resulting cast metal as it passes from the mold is that temperature which results from cooling the mold to solidifying molten metal rather than a temperature selected for hot working the cast metal.

The invention disclosed herein overcomes this limitation in the prior art and in the method of cooling a mold taught in our co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. 'No. 334,197 by providing a method of cooling a mold which not only solidifies molten metal in the mold as taught in our co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 334,197 but which also results in cast metal passing from the mold at a temperature selected as being best suited for subsequent hot working of the cast metal. The invention provides this improvement in the cooling of a mold by cooling the mold by that amount required to solidify molten metal in the mold and by also cooling the mold by that amount required to cool the resulting cast metal to a selected temperature. Thus, the invention provides a method of cooling a mold which is well suited to hot working a cast metal as it passes from the mold since the temperature of the cast metal as it passes from the mold is determined by a desired hot working temperature rather than simply by the cooling of the mold required to solidify molten metal in the mold.

These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings in which like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic presentation of a casting machine and a rolling mill arranged so that cooling of the mold provided by the casting machine as taught herein will result in cast metal being hot worked by the mill at a desired hot working temperature;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged front elevational view of the casting machine showing a cooling arrangement suitable to practice the invention disclosed herein;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the castin-g machine shown in FIG. 2.

These figures and the following detailed description disclose a specific embodiment of the invention but the invention is not limited to the details disclosed since it may be embodied in other equivalent forms.

The method of cooling amold wtu'ch is disclosed herein is best understood in terms of a mold cooling arrangement for a casting machine T having a rotating annular member 10 with a peripheral groove 11. A band 12 engages the periphery of the annular member 10 and serves to close a portion of the peripheral groove 11 so as to provide a mold M which receives molten metal 13 from a crucible 14 and from which cast metal 15 passes. The band 12 is positioned against and for motion with the periphery of the annular member 10 by a plurality of wheels 16 as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 or by a single wheel as shown in the United States patent to Illario Properzi, U.S. Patent No. 2,865,067.

However, regardless of the manner in which the band 12 is positioned against the periphery of the annular member 10, it will be understood that the mold M travels along a predetermined path from that point A at which the mold M receives the molten metal 13 to that point B at which cast metal 15 passes from the mold M to a means for hot working the cast metal 15 such as the rolling mill H shown in FIG. 1. The rolling mill H is a conventional rolling mill and it will also be understood that with the arrangement of the casting machine T and the rolling mill H shown in FIG. 1, cast metal 15 will be hot worked by the rolling mill H at a temperature which is determined in part by the temperature of the cast metal 15 as it passes from the mold M.

Thus, the casting machine T, the rolling mill H, and the arrangement of the casting machine T and the rolling mill H shown in FIG. 1 are generally conventional. It is because of this and because the invention disclosed herein is a method of cooling a mold M so as to provide not only for the solidification of molten metal 13 as taught in our co-pending patent application Ser. No. 334,197 but also for a selected temperature of the cast metal 15 as it passes from the mold M that only a cooling arrangement to practice the method of cooling a mold M disclosed herein is shown in detail. Moreover, it will be understood that this cooling arrangement is disclosed only to provide an understanding of the invention and that the cooling arrangement disclosed in our co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 334,197 and other cooling arrangements may be used to practice the invention disclosed herein once the invention is understood.

In the cooling arrangement selected to provide an understanding of the invention disclosed herein, cooling of the mold M is provided by an inner cooling means N for directing coolant against the inner periphery 17 of the annular member 10, an outer cooling means for directing coolant against the band 12, a first lateral cooling means L for directing coolant against one side 18 of the annular member 10, and a second lateral cooling means S for directing coolant against the other side 19 of the annular member 10. The inner cooling means N comprises a header member 20 similar to that shown in our co-pending US. patent application Ser. No.

334,197 which is fixedly positioned within the inner periphery 17 of the annular member 10.

The header member 20 has an outer wall 21 concentric with and spaced apart from the inner periphery 17 of the annular member and extending from the point A at which molten metal 13 is received in the mold M to the point B at which cast metal passes from the mold M. The header member is arranged to define a hollow cavity 22 which is divided by a partition 23 into two coolant chambers 24 and 25. The partition 23 is positioned within the hollow cavity 22 so that that portion of the outer wall 21 of the header member 20 bounding the coolant chamber 24 extends from the point A to a point C along the path of the mold M between the points A and B. That portion of the outer wall 21 of the header member 20 bounding the coolant chamber 25 extends from this point C to the point B.

It will now be understood that the header member 20 provides two coolant chambers 24 and 25 positioned in sequence adjacent the inner periphery 17 of the annular member 10 along the path of the mold M between the points A and B. Coolant is supplied to the coolant chamber 24 through a valve 27 by a coolant supply line 28 and coolant is supplied to the coolant chamber 25 through a valve 29 by a coolant supply line 30. A plurality of nozzles 31 arranged along the outer wall 21 of the header member 20 serve to direct coolant within the coolant chambers 24 and 25 outwardly against the inner periphery 17 of the annular member 10.

The first lateral cooling means L comprises a first arcuate tube 32 extending from the point C along and adjacent the side 18 of the annular member 10 to the point A and a second arcuate tube 33 extending from the point C along and adjacent the side 18 of the annular member 10 to the point B. Coolant is supplied to the first arcuate tube 32 through a valve 34 by a coolant supply line 35 and coolant is supplied to the second arcuate tube 33 through a valve 36 by a coolant supply line 37. Each arcuate tube 32 and 33 has a plurality of nozzles 38 spaced along its length for directing coolant from within the arcuate tubes 32 and 33 against the side 18 of the annular member 10.

The second lateral cooling means S is similar to the first lateral cooling means L in that it comprises a first arcuate tube 39 extending adjacent the side 19 of the annular member 10 between the points A and C and a second arcuate tube (not shown) extending adjacent the side 19 of the annular member 10 between the points C and B. Coolant is supplied to the first arcuate tube 39 through a valve 42 by a coolant supply line 44 and coolant is supplied to the second arcuate tube through a valve 43 by a coolant supply line 45. Each arcuate tube has a plurality of nozzles 41 spaced along its length for directing coolant within the arcuate tubes against the side 19 of the annular member 10.

The outer cooling means 0 is also similar to the first lateral cooling means L in that it comprises a first arcuate tube 46 extending from the point C along and adjacent the band 12 to the point A and a second arcuate tube 47 extending from the point C along and adjacent the band 12 to the point B. Coolant is supplied to the first arcuate tube 46 through a valve 48 by a coolant supply line 49 and coolant is supplied to the second arcuate tube 47 through a valve 50 by a coolant supply line 51. A plurality of nozzles 52 are spaced along the length of the arcuate tubes 46 and 47 to direct coolant from within the arcuate tubes 46 and 47 against the band 12.

The coolant supply lines 28, 30, 35, 37, 44, 45, 49, and 51 are all continuous with a main coolant tube 54 which receives a coolant such as water from a coolant supply (not shown) through a main valve 55. Thus, it will be understood that the inner cooling means N, the outer cooling means 0, the first lateral cooling means L, and the second lateral cooling means S together provide a cooling arrangement for directing a coolant against all sides of the mold M as it passes between the points A and B.

It will also be understood that coolant is directed against the mold M between the points A and C only from the coolant chamber 24, the first arcuate tube 32, the first arcuate tube 39, and the first arcuate tube 46 and that coolant is directed against the mold M between the points C and B only from the coolant chamber 25, the second arcuate tube 33, the second arcuate tube opposite tube 33, and the second arcuate tube 47. Since the flow of coolant to the coolant chambers 24 and 25 and to the arcuate tubes 32, 33, 39, 40, 46, and 47 is dependent not only upon the setting of the main valve 55 but also upon the individual settings of the valves 27, 29, 34, 36, 42, 43, 48,

and 50 respectively, it will be further understood that the cooling arrangement described herein provides a cooling zone X between the points A and C and a cooling zone Y between the points C and B in each of which the cooling of the mold M and of the various sides of the mold M is adjustable.

With this cooling arrangement or with a similar cooling arrangement for the mold M such as that described in our co-pending US. Patent application Ser. No. 334,197, and after molten metal 13 is poured into the mold M, the cooling of the mold M in the cooling zones X and Y is adjusted to substantially completely solidify molten metal 13 in the mold M as taught in our co-pending US. patent application Ser. No. 334,197 and in addition it is adjusted to additionally and independently cool the cast metal 15 to a selected discharge temperature as it passes from the mold M. Where the cooling of a mold M in each cooling zone X and Y is independently adjustable as in the cooling arrangement described above this is most easily accomplished by adjusting the cooling of the mold M in the plurality of cooling zones X and Y by that amount required to cool the molten metal 13 to a temperature which is the highest temperature of the cast metal 15 consistent with solidification of the molten metal 13 as taught in our copending US. patent application Ser. No. 334,197 and by further adjusting the cooling of the mold M in the cooling zone Y by any additional amount required to cool the cast metal prior to passing from the mold M to a selected temperature.

The selected temperature may be the highest hot working temperature of the cast metal consistent with the desired solidification of the molten metal 13 in the mold M in cooling zones X and Y or any lower temperature which is also consistent with the desired solidification of the molten metal 13. Thus, by adjusting the additional amount of cooling of the mold M in the cooling zone Y, the temperature of the cast metal 15 as it passes from the mold M may be any selected temperature within a range of temperatures which is not detrimental to the desired solidification of the molten metal.

In most applications of the invention, the selected temperature of the cast metal 15 as it passes from the mold M is'a temperature which is sufiiciently above that hot working temperature at which it is desired for the cast metal 15 to enter the rolling mill H to compensate for cooling of the cast metal 15 between the casting machine C and the rolling mill H. However, the selected temperature maybe less than this hot working temperature to permit heating of the cast metal 15 between the casting machine T and the rolling mill H. Moreover, regardless of selected temperature of the cast metal 15 as it passes from the mold M which is required to meet particular operating conditions of the casting machine T and the rolling mill H, the selected temperature is adjusted during the operation of the casting machine T to compensate for changes in operating conditions so as to insure that the cast metal 15 is received at the rolling mill H at a desired hot working temperature.

It will be understood that in that embodiment of the invention described above, the cooling of the mold M in the cooling zone Y is by an amount which is in fact the sum of that portion of the amount of cooling of the mold M required to solidify the molten metal 13 which is accomplished in cooling zone Y rather than in cooling zone X and of that amount of cooling of the mold M required to provide the cast metal 15 at a selected temperature as it passes from the mold M. This is because the cooling of the mold M to solidify the molten metal 13 is accomplished in both the cooling zone X and the cooling zone Y. However, with a cooling arrangement such as that described herein or disclosed in our co-pending US. patent application Ser. No. 334,197, the initial cooling of the mold M required to solidify the molten metal 13 may be accomplished entirely in the cooling zone X and the subsequent cooling of the mold M in the cooling zone Y may be substantially restricted to that amount of cooling required to provide the cast metal 15 at a selected temperature as the cast metal 15 passes from the mold M. With a cooling arrangement having a cooling zone Y in which the cooling of the mold M is adjustable independently of the cooling of the mold M in the cooling zone X, this embodiment of the method permits the selected temperature of the cast metal 15 as it passes from the mold M to be easily and simply controlled.

However, regardless of the particular embodiment of the invention provided or permitted by the arrangement of the casting machine T or other apparatus for providing a mold M and the cooling of the mold M, the invention involves initially cooling the mold M to substantially solidify the molten metal 13 and subsequently cooling the mold to cool cast metal 15 in the mold M to a selected tempeature at which the cast metal passes from the mold M to a means for hot working such as the rolling mill H. Whether the steps of initially cooling and subsequently cooling the mold M overlap in time or occur substantially independently in sequence and whether the cooling arrangement provides a plurality of cooling zones along the path of the mold M or provides another arrangement for accomplishing these steps, the invention provides cast metal at a selected discharge temperature which is determined both by the temperature changing environment of the cast metal between the mold M and a relatively remote and separate hot-forming means such as the rolling mill H and by the range of hot-forming temperatures for the cast metal and which provides a cast metal at the rolling mill H with a temperature within the range of hot-forming temperatures that is the initial hot-forming temperature at which it is desired to hot work the cast metal and which is not determined simply by the amount of cooling required to solidify the molten metal 13 in a particular manner such as that disclosed in our co-pending US. patent application Ser. No. 334,197.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many variations may be made in the embodiments chosen for the purpose of illustrating the present invention without departing from the scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed as invention is:

1. In a method of cooling a mold to solidify a molten metal into a copper base cast metal for hot-forming in a hot-forming means at an initial hot-forming temperature within a predetermined range of hot-forming temperatures; the steps of pouring a molten metal into a mold formed by the peripheral groove in a rotating annular member and by a band which closes a length of said groove; cooling said mold while said annular member is rotating to solidify said molten metal into a substantially completely solidified cast metal, said cast metal being discharged from said mold and passed to a relatively remote and separate hot-forming means through a temperature changing environment in which said cast metal undergoes changes in temperature; and additionally and independently cooling said mold to adjust the temperature of said cast metal to a discharge temperature which is determined both by said environment and by a range of hot-forming temperatures for said cast metal and which provides an initial hot-forming temperature of said cast metal in said hot-forming means that is Within said range of hot-forming temperatures.

2. The method of claim 1 including passing said mold in sequence through a plurality of cooling zones.

3. The method of claim 2 in which cooling said mold to solidify said molten metal includes cooling said mold in at least one of said plurality of cooling zones.

4. The method of claim 2 in which cooling said mold to solidify said molten metal includes cooling said mold in all of said plurality of cooling zones.

5. The method of claim 3 in which cooling said mold to solidify said molten metal includes cooling said mold in another of said plurality of cooling zones independently of cooling said mold in said at least one of said plurality of cooling zones.

6. The method of claim 3 in which additionally and independently cooling said mold includes cooling said mold in at least one of said plurality of cooling zones.

7. The method of claim 3 in which additionally and independently cooling said mold includes cooling said mold in the last of said plurality of cooling zones through which said mold passes in sequence.

8. The method of claim 3 in which additionally and independently cooling said mold includes cooling said mold in said at least one of said plurality of cooling zones.

9. The method of claim 1 in which cooling said mold to solidify said molten metal includes directing a coolant against said mold with a plurality of nozzles.

10. The method of claim 9 in which additionally and independently cooling said mold includes independently varying a coolant directed against said mold by at least some of said plurality of nozzles.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Stover 22-57.3 Stover 2257.3 X 5 Baker 2257.3 X Perry et a1. 22-574 Murakani 16487 X Sweet 164277 Webster 22--57.3 1 Sendzimir 2257.3 X

8 Tarquinee et a1. 22200.'1 X Properzi 22-57.4 Brennan 22 57.4 Wilson 22-200.1 X Boehrn 22-2001 FOREIGN PATENTS 7/1962 France.

I. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

R. S. ANNEAR, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A METHOD OF COOLING A MOLD TO SOLIDIFY A MOLTEN METAL INTO A COPPER BASE CAST METAL FOR HOT-FORMING IN A HOT-FORMING MEANS AT AN INITIAL HOT-FORMING TEMPERATURE WITHIN A PREDETERMINED RANGE OF HOT-FORMING TEMPERATURES; THE STEPS OF POURING A MOLTEN METAL INTO A MOLD FORMED BY THE PERIPHERAL GROOVE IN A ROTATING ANNULAR MEMBER AND BY A BAND WHICH CLOSES A LENGTH OF SAID GROOVE; COOLING SAID MOLD WHILE SAID ANNULAR MEMBER IS ROTATING TO SOLIDIFY SAID MOLTEN METAL INTO A SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY SOLIDIFIED CAST METAL, SAID CAST METAL BEING DISCHARGED FROM SAID MOLD AND PASSED TO A RELATIVELY REMOTE AND SEPARATE HOT-FORMING MEANS THROUGH A TEMPERATURE CHANGING ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH SAID CAST METAL UNDERGOES CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE; AND ADDITIONALLY AND INDEPENDENTLY COOLING SAID MOLD TO ADJUST THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID CAST METAL TO A DISCHARGE TEMPERATURE WHICH IS DETERMINED BOTH BY SAID ENVIRONMENT AND BY A RANGE OF HOT-FORMING TEMPERATURES FOR SAID CAST METAL AND WHICH PROVIDES AN INITIAL HOT-FORMING TEMPERATURE OF SAID CAST METAL IN SAID HOT-FORMING MEANS THAT IS WITHIN SAID RANGE OF HOT-FORMING TEMPERATURES. 